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I have a folder on Pinterest that I call “I could do this”. Many of the items in the folder are container gardens and especially sedums in containers. Finding the right container is key to pulling off the planted crafty project: Wire basket was a Goodwill find for $2.99.

The dried moss in the bag is a local, sustainable product at a hefty price of $14.99 but the bag will make many more for gifts. The few plants I purchased were $2.50 each. I am fortunate that the previous gardener planted many different sedum plants that I snipped for the project.

I don’t have a potting bench but use a plastic bin to contain the mess when potting or seeding.

I started with moss, then added the coffee filter and a bit of potting mix.

Then I started planting and tucking in more moss.

Like a lot of newly planted pots, this one needs to settle in a bit and grow but for my first project, I am pleased with the results.

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Have you heard about Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island? It is across Sound from Seattle, about a 45 minute drive from our house over the Agate Pass Bridge. It was not until seeing an ad for “the premier plant sale” and a sunny break on Saturday morning did I consider checking out this garden and sale. I heard that there are no roses in the garden but lots of other great plants. It is a gem on the island.

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Today I was invited to be a guest at the Cross Sound Arranger’s Guild. Four times a year this group of talented flower arrangers gets together to share, teach, learn and critique examples using the Federated Garden Clubs of America’s rules and style. I am used to American Rose Society’s rules and styles so this is very different for me. ARS rules state that the rose must be dominant. In Federated arrangements, the theme or category seems to rule. For example, the designs today were “holiday illuminary”, which means lights need to be incorporated in the design.

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There is something very satisfying about making your own compost. Since I emptied my bin out on to a tarp for finishing a few weeks ago (think final drying out) I have been picking through it to learn what did not compost by the time I was ready to use it. Crocosmia and gladiola foiliage did ok, but the bulbs are still solid and sprouting. Grass, straw and leaves were good additions. A friend stopped over and asked when I was going to sift the compost. Honestly, I did not think about that but I did realize the benefit of getting out clumps etc. My friend talked about a frame for hardware cloth and that sounded nice but I was concerned about storage of something that would not get used often. So my solution was to wrap a few inches of the flexible wire hardware cloth around my wheel barrow. Now that I am done i can just roll up the hardware cloth for easy storage.